Anchor connection for bridge and other cables



April 5, 1932.

c. c. SUNDERLAND ANCHOR CONNECTION FOR BRIDGE AND OTHER CABLES Fi led Sept. 9, 1931 INVENTOR fla aaiw/fl BYZE ATTORNEYS fi /w w Patented A r. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES C. SUNDEBLAND, OF NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR '10 JOHN A. ROEBLINGS SONS NEW JERSEY COMPANY, 01 TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, A conronarron' or ANCHOR CONNECTION FOR BRIDGE AND OTHER CABLES Application filed September 9, 1931. Serial No. 561,823.

This invention relates to anchor connections by which the separate strands of multiple strand cables are connected to the anchorage, the special object being to provide 6] connections that are simple, compact and convenient of assembly, and which will reduce length of splay or sharpness of'angles required in the splayingof the cable strands for anchoring. The invention has been made 1 I inconnection with and is especially applicable to the anchorage of the large cables of suspension bridges and the like. The invention is equally applicable to cables formed of single solidwires or of strands made up of a plurality of wires and the term strand will be used herein to include both.

In my prior application, Serial No. 502,635, filed December 16, 1930,,there is shown a construction in which each of the strands of the cable is provided with a bearing member at .the end formed preferably by socketing the strand, and this bearing member transmits the tension of the strand through bearing blocks to anchor plates to form the connection to the anchorage, and the bearing members on the strand ends preferably are formed for the connection of hydraulic or similar jacks by which the strands are adjusted in position or tension.

The especial object of the present invention is to provide an improved construction of anchor connections of the general class shown in my prior application, in which the radii of the curves on which the strands enter the anchor connection shall be increased, thus enabling a cable of many strands to be anchored with a single set of anchor plates, instead of employing a plurality of sets of anchor plates.

In accordance with the present invention, a sleeve having a tapering strand passage permitting a large strand radius is introduced-on the strand before socketing or otherwise forming thabearing member on, the strand, so that the angle of the strand in the anchor connection is such as to avoid abuse of the strand at this point and thus enable the practical use of one set of anchor connections for practically any number of strands Without making the splay length excessive.

For a full understanding of the invention, a detailed description of a construction embodying the same in a preferred form will now be given in, connectlon with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and showing the invention as applied in connection with a bridge cable an n chorage similar to that of my prior applicathe anchor plates and connections, looking to the left in Figure 2, some only of the bearing blocks and shear pins being shownin detail for simplicity of illustration;

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are perspective views showing the bearing block and sleeve features separated, Figure 4 showing one of the intermediate bearing blocks, Figure 5 a strand with its bearing member and sleeve, and Figure 6 a bearing block of the bottom or top row of blocks.

Referring now to the drawings, the cable to be anchored (not shown) is one of thirtyseven strands a, this being selected only for illustration, 1; are the anchor plates, C the anchor bars which are to be embedded in the concrete or other anchorage and secured therein in any suitable manner; The strands a are splayed from the cable with their ends in rows, shown as horizontally arranged, and each of these splayed strands a carries at the end a bearing member 0 shown as a socket in which the strand end is socketed in the usual manner, and these bearing members coact with'bearing blocks d, d, mounted between,

the anchor plates 6 and secured thereto shear pins 1 passing through the holes 2.,in the bearing blocks d and d, and holes 8 in the anchor plates 6, each of the shear'pins passing through a row of bearing blocks. Preferably two or more pins for each row of bearing blocks will be used and arranged horizontally in line, two such pins for each except that the bearing blocks (1 have a half groove & on both their upper and lower faces, while the bottom and top bearing blocks cl have a groove on only one face and a plane surface on the other face.

Between these bearing blocks are supported the sleeves e through which the strands a pass, the flanges 8 forming grooves through which the shear pins 1 pass, thus locking the sleeves 0 in position so as to provide for a considerable radius of bend of the strand in passing through the anchor connection to the inner side of the bearing blocks d, d, against which the members 0 on the strands bear. These sleeves are seated in the grooves of the bearing blocks. The bearing blocks d, d

are inserted in horizontal rows successively with the strands and sleeves placed in the top half grooves of the blocks and held in the bottom half grooves of the next row, and as each horizontal row of bearing blocks is inserted, the shear pins 1 will be passed through the blocks of the row and the anchorplates. With this construction, the tension of each strand is supported by two rows of pins, one row in each half of the combined bearing block, on which its socket member 0 bears.

The bearing blocks are mounted at the forward end of the anchor plates 6, thus leaving the rear portions of these plates for an anchorage connection and for the adjusting device of the strands a. In this rear portion of the anchor plates 6 are provided holes 5 in line with the half grooves 4 and in line through the series of plates,-so that a temporary abutment rod 10 may be passed through the plates, serving as abutment for a hydraulic or similar jack 11 with its supply connection 7, and the jacks 11 and socket 0 are provided with connections by which the jacks may draw the sockets and strands back into proper position or.tension, and the strand after adjustment may be held in its proper position by shims 9 between the socket 0 and bearing .blocks (Z, d and the jack thenremoved for adjustment of another strand. In Figure 2, one of the strands is shown as hav ing been adjusted and shimmed, and the next strand and socket as being adjusted by jack 1.1, and in Figure 3 the bottom and next rows of strands and bearing blocks are in place with their shear pins 1 inserted and locked at their ends, while in the third row the pins 1 are shown as of illustration.

The connection between the anchor plates 6 and the anchor bars C is shown .as made by a bar 13 passing through the anchor plates 6 and the anchorbars C with separating sleeves 14:, the parts of the assembly being held to partially inserted for purposegether by end washers 15 secured by bolts passing through the bar 13.

While my improved anchor connection has been illustrated in connection with a bridge cable anchorage and it is especially valuable in such connection, the invention may beused .in other connections in which it is necessary to splay and anchor or otherwise connect the strands of a multiple strand cable.

It will be understood that the invention may be applied with cables of any number of strands and is not limited to the particular construction or arrangement shown, but may be applied in connection with other anchorages or with other detail constructions and arrangements, within the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is: j

1. An anchor connection for multiple strand cables, having a series of anchor plates, bearing blocks between said anchor plates, bearing members carried by the strands and bearing against said blocks, pins passing through the bearing blocks and anchor plates for transmitting the strand tension through the anchor plates, and sleeves on the strands between the bearing blocks having strand passages expanding toward the cable end of the strands. i

2. An anchor connection for multiple strand cables, having a series of anchor plates, bearing blocks between said anchor plates and arranged in rows transversely to the plates, said bearing blocks being arranged in groups of substantially equivalent vertical and horizontal dimensions. bearing members carried by the strands and bearing against said blocks, pins passing through each row of bearing blocks and the anchor plates for transmitting the strand tension to. the anchor plates, and sleeves on the strands between the bearing blocks having strand passages expanding toward the cable end of the strands.

3. An anchor connection for multiple strand cables, having a series of anchor plates set edgewise vertically and parallel with each other, bearing blocks between said anchor plates arranged in series of horizontal rows transversely to the plates, bearing members carried by the strands and bearing against said blocks, pins passing through each row of bearing blocks and the anchor plates for transmitting the strand tension to the anchor plates, and sleeves on the strands between the bearing blocks having strand passages expanding toward the cable end of the strands.

4. An anchor connection for multiple strand cables, having a series of anchor plates, bearing blocks having half grooves in opposite faces between said plates, bearing members secured on the ends of the cable strands and bearing against the bearing blocks, pins passing through the bearing blocks and anchor plates, and sleeves on the cable strands between said bearing blocks and seated in the bearing block grooves.

5. An anchor connection for multiple 2 strand cables, having a'series of. anchor plates, 5 bearing blocks having half grooves in opposite faces between said plates, bearing members secured on the ends of the cable strands and bearing against the bearing blocks, pins passing through the bearing blocks and anchor plates, and sleeves on the cable strands betweensaid bearing blocks and seated" in the bearing block grooves, said sleeves being formed with circumferential grooves throug which the pins pass. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES C. SUNDERLAND. 

